


Broken Glass

by No_one_at_the_beach



Category: Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Ben Solo in a smart car, F/M, Sharing a Bed, ben is the good guy, but I love the reylo, this is way out of my comfort zone, travel buddies
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-31
Updated: 2018-12-31
Packaged: 2019-10-01 08:55:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,249
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17241287
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/No_one_at_the_beach/pseuds/No_one_at_the_beach
Summary: When a snowstorm grounds their flight, Ben reluctantly agrees to help Rey, a girl he’s never met before, to find a way back to New York City to meet her fiancé’s parents.





	Broken Glass

**Author's Note:**

  * For [sciosophia](https://archiveofourown.org/users/sciosophia/gifts).



“I’m sorry ma’am...there’s nothing we can do,” a polite airline clerk told her yet again, and Rey’s forehead hit the counter. She was stranded in Chicago, and there was absolutely no way she would make her engagement party in New York. Armitage would be furious. Everything had to be just so.

Rey mumbled a ‘thanks’ and headed off to the side, to watch the snow out the window as she dialed her fiancé’s number.

“Tell me you’re on the plane,” a proper British voice sounded from the other line. Rey mentally winced.

“Not exactly…” she started, before a loud bang came from behind her, causing her to jump. A man had just slammed his hand down on the counter in frustration. _Dramatic much?_

“What was that?” the voice asked, and Rey shot the man a dirty look.

“Nothing…just some giant pitching a fit like a toddler. Listen…all flights are cancelled. I know…before you say anything, I should have been on a flight yesterday, but I just couldn’t with work.”

The man on the other end sighed heavily. “First off, Rey, you’re an artist, so that’s silly. You know you could have finished your installation early enough had you planned better. I can’t believe you aren’t going to make the engagement party. You know my parents flew in from London especially to meet you and throw us this gathering. Can’t you find a car or something?”

Rey rolled her eyes. “And drive with what license?”

Another bang on the counter caused Rey to turn with annoyance, as the large man loomed over the ticket counter, before loudly growling, “Since this airline seems to be incompetent, I’ll just rent a car and drive to New York. Perfect.”

An idea popped into Rey’s head. “Armi…let me call you back.” The brief protest from the other end was cut off when she hit the end button, and scooping up her bag, she quickly followed the angry man. _Maybe this would work._

Rey followed close behind him, and watched as he waited in line at the only remaining car rental company. When he reached the front of the line, she snuck closer to listen to him speaking with the clerk.

“We only have one car left….and it looks like it’s a _smart EQ fortwo_. Will that work?” a gentleman asked, pausing his rapid typing to look up at the tall man, who seemed annoyed, but at least no longer angry.

“No, but it’s my only option,” he said with a frown, handing over his credit card.

After a few moments, and a few swipes of the car, the clerk frowned and handed back the card. “I’m sorry sir this card was declined. Do you have another one?”

The man’s features started to shift back to anger from annoyance. “This card is fine. Try it again.”

It didn’t work. The second card didn’t work. Rey saw her chance as the man was down to his last card. It was also declined.

“I’m sorry, sir… I need a valid card or I can’t rent you the car. If you step aside I can get the next person, please,” the clerk said with an exhausted, plastered on smile.

“No, you don’t understand, I have to get to New York, I….” the man started, and Rey slid in beside him, linking arms with him affectionately.

“Honey, maybe you forgot to call the bank again to tell them we are traveling. Here, run mine,” she handed over the card to the smiling clerk, and chose not to look up at the man beside her. Standing there, he was more than just tall, he was huge. And he smelled very, very good.

“Alright, miss, here’s your card, and your keys, and you two have a great evening. Drive safely,” the clerk said, handing her the keys to the car, and she gently pulled the large man away from the counter over to a seated section.

“What just happened?” the man said, staring at her.

Rey smiled up at him, “I’m helping you out. And in turn, hoping you will help me out.”

“No.”

Rey smiled up at him with a shit-eating grin. “Well, considering I’m holding the last pair of rental car keys, I think we can come to an agreement.”

The two stared at each other for a minute, before the man let out a heavy sigh. “Fine.”

 

Turned out the man’s name was Ben, and he was maybe the grumpiest person on the face of the planet. But, he did seem to appreciate the fact that she wasn’t going to drive. However, when they arrived at the car in the parking deck, Rey couldn’t help to bite her lip to hold back a laugh as they stood in front of the smallest car in existence.

“Oh my god, can you even get into that thing?” she asked with a giggle, and Ben’s head whipped around to scowl at her.

“I hate this,” he mumbled as they loaded things into the car. Ben wedged himself into the tiny front seat and soon they were off.

Ben was grumpy. He didn’t want to talk. He certainly didn’t share why he was headed to New York. Rey thought they were going to have to ride the whole way in silence, but after dealing with about 20 minutes of her constant humming, Ben conceded and let her turn the radio on. The snow was heavy, but since it was still light out, it was bearable. The roads were clean and salted, and Ben seemed to be a decent driver.

“Are we really going to do this 12-hour drive in silence?” Rey asked, and Ben sighed.

“I’m concentrating.”

Rey rolled her eyes. “That’s a great question, Ben! I am actually heading to New York to meet my fiancé’s parents.”

Nothing from Ben.

“And you are going to New York because…” Rey prompted, and Ben chewed on the inside of his cheek.

“Come on…share. I’ll probably never see you again, so you might as well chat a bit.” Rey looked over at him, and his body sagged in defeat.

“Fine. I am heading to New York to tell my friend’s fiancé that he’s a bastard that cheated on her, so she doesn’t end up marrying him and ruining her life,” he snapped out, and Rey’s eyebrows shot up.

“You’re going to interrupt a wedding? Are you serious?”

Ben scowled. “It’s not a wedding, but yes.”

Rey let out a low whistle. “I was not expecting that. Ok…well, that is admirable then. I think I would want to know if I was in that position.”

Rey could see Ben’s hands relax a bit on the steering wheel.

“That makes me feel better about this actually,” Ben said softly.

Rey smiled at him, and she could also see the hint of a smile across his features. “Have you met her before?”

Ben shook his head. “No. I actually don’t even know her name.”

“You don’t know her name?” Rey asked, incredulously.

Ben swallowed. “Yeah, he’s not that good of a friend. I ran into him at a bar when he was visiting my town for work. He practically bragged about how the lady he was with was turning the business trip into a pleasure trip. I debated saying anything…but something about the whole thing just didn’t sit well with me. I have to tell her. ”

Rey wrinkled her nose. “Men are pigs. I’m so lucky to have found someone that would never do that to me. He’s too proper.”

“You’re engaged?” Ben asked, and Rey held up her hand, with a huge diamond gleaming back at him. It was his turn to let out a low whistle.

“Could the plane have gotten off the ground with that thing on board?” he asked with a little smirk, and Rey ducked her head, blushing.

“Yeah, it’s a bit much, but I know he likes to show off so…” she shrugged.

“So, changing topics…what do you do for a living?” Rey asked.

Ben squinted at the road, changing lanes and trying to focus on the increasingly snowy roads. “I am an art dealer actually. What about you?”

Rey let out a little laugh. “Get out of here. I’m an artist.”

Ben’s eyebrows rose in surprise. “Really? That IS interesting. What kind of art?”

“I do blown glass installations,” she answered, and Ben’s eyebrows rose higher.

“Like Chihuly?” he asked, and Rey snorted.

“I wish. No…I don’t work in quite the same way, though he is a huge inspiration for me. Also, you know, I have depth perception, so that helps set me apart too.”

Ben laughed a little, and Rey let out a giggle. This was turning out to not be the worst idea she ever had. She was able to talk a little shop, and make it back to the party in time. This would work out.

 

Night had settled in, and they were somewhere in Ohio. Ben was white-knuckle gripping the wheel, and Rey was passed out in the small front seat, drooling on her jacket that she’d balled up to use as a pillow. The sound of Ben cursing and the slowing of the car caused her to open her eyes. Several cop cars were ahead on the highway, and flares on the side of the road lit the way to a standstill. An officer came over to the window, and Ben fiddled with buttons for a few moments before the window sank down into the door.

“Evening folks. The highway up ahead is closed. Snow has just gotten too bad. We’re directing people to take this exit here,” the officer said, bracing against the wind and snow.

“Great,” Ben mumbled, and Rey offered the officers a polite, “Thank you”, before Ben pulled off on the exit and started driving through the town.

“We’re going to have to crash here for the night. I don’t know how to navigate around here, and I don’t really want to die in this tiny clown car somewhere in Ohio.”

Rey felt dread. She thought they might be able to get to New York before morning, but now it looked like she was pressing her luck and might be late to her own engagement party. _But you’ll at least be at it, Rey._

There was one motel in town with a vacancy sign, and Ben pulled the small car into the last open spot, before they both dashed inside to the brightly lit office. A matronly woman was behind the desk, watching late night TV.

“Oh! Good evening, you two!” she said with a smile, and stood up. “You two are lucky! We have just one room left. Oy! It’s snowing like crazy outside. Glad you’re off the road, it’s supposed to get worse!”

“I’m sorry, did you say you only have one room left?” Ben asked, and the woman nodded. “Yes, sir! Like I said, you and your fiancée got lucky!”  

Ben groaned, opening his mouth to correct her, but Rey scooted in. “Perfect. We’ll take it,” she said with a smile, handing over her credit card and shooting Ben a look that said, “shut up.”

“Of course there’s only one bed,” Ben said as the door to the small motel room swung open.

Rey giggled. “Oh, settle down. We’re both adults.”

Ben scowled down at her. “You’re engaged. It’s not right to sleep in the same bed with you.”

Rey made a small dismissive noise. “We’re not having sex, Ben. We’re sleeping.”

“I’ll sleep on the floor,” Ben said, throwing his bag into the corner of the room.

“No, you won’t. Who knows what’s even been on that floor. Yikes. No, it’ll be totally fine.” She smiled at Ben, and his scowl deepened. “Why, Ben…do you think I am going to take advantage of you?” She waggled her eyebrows playfully, and Ben shook his head and headed to the bathroom, closing the door behind him.

Rey laughed a little, and grabbed her phone, dialing her fiancé’s number. “Hey, honey,” she said into the phone as he picked up.

“Where are you?” he asked curtly.

Rey rolled her eyes. “I’m fine, thank you for asking. We had to stop for the night.”

“What do you mean, ‘stop for the night’?” the proper British voice snapped through the phone.

“I mean, Armi, that the police have the interstate blocked, and we literally can’t go any further, so we’ve had to stop.” Earlier, she had texted him to explain that she found a ride. Surprisingly, he hadn’t seemed to be concerned about his future wife driving 12 hours with a total stranger, and more relieved that their party wouldn’t have to be rescheduled.

“So, take back roads. Being late to our engagement party really isn’t going to be the first impression I want to leave of you with my parents,” he clipped back.

“Well, _dear_ , I would rather the first impression not be of me dead, so we seem to be at an impasse. I am sure Ben will get us on the road early in the morning.”

Rey could hear Armitage’s annoyance. “Well, try to be here by 5 then.”

“Yes, dear,” Rey smiled into the phone. “I love…”

Rey didn’t get the ‘you’ out before the phone line went dead. He was pissed. Rey frowned at the phone as Ben came out of the bathroom, freshly showered. Rey guessed she should go ahead and shower too, since she literally might not have time the next day before the party.

Ben had propped himself up on top of the covers on the bed, and had a book open now and glasses on his face.

“Glasses look good,” Rey commented as she headed to the small bathroom, toiletries in hand. Ben looked up in surprise, as Rey smiled at him and closed the door.

Turning the shower on, Rey luxuriated under surprisingly strong water pressure. Her mind wandered to Armitage. They had been together since college in Oxford. They were polar opposites, with Armitage taking a political path, and Rey leaning into the art program, but somehow they balanced each other out. But now, since being in America, they spent more and more time apart. Armitage had become a diplomat, and traveled all the time, and as Rey’s career picked up, she found herself traveling more as well, and installing some of her bigger pieces over the course of weeks. It was harder to find the time to spend together, so this engagement party was important. She had yet to meet his parents, even though, at this point in their relationship, it was surprisingly that she hadn’t.

Rey wasn’t all that sure about the wedding, but she had been with Armi for so long, she knew that getting married was the right thing to do. He wanted to, and she loved him, even if she wished there were some things she could change about their relationship. Armitage never understood her art, and made several comments about her ‘silly installations’. However, as she picked up popularity and started getting featured more in publications and in museums, he seemed to be more comfortable with her position. Rey knew her job now made him look a bit more cultured in the art scene, and often that helped him in his diplomatic positions. She didn’t mind if it meant maybe he understood her career a bit more.

The water started to run cool, so Rey finished up, changed into sweats, and exited the bathroom. The room was chilly, and Ben had laid down, rolling on his side away from her to give her a bit of privacy.

Rey toweled her hair off, and climbed into bed beside Ben. Although the air was still cold, the heat his body gave off was heaven.

“You’re a space heater,” she commented with a small laugh, and Ben rolled onto his back.

“Yeah, I’ve been told that. Sorry,” he muttered, and Rey shook her head.

“No, it’s lovely. It’s so cold in here.” Rey shivered a bit to make a point, and she thought she felt Ben move his feet closer to hers.

They laid in silence in the dark for a while, the light of the street lamp outside shining in through the sheer curtains, and the little flakes of snow making the room seem like it’s own little snow globe.

“How do you know your friend, or, whatever he is?” Rey asked softly, in case Ben wasn’t awake, but she could feel him thinking beside her.

Ben sighed. “We met in college. I did my Master’s in Oxford.”

“England?” Rey asked, and Ben chuckled softly.

“Of course, England.”

Rey turned on her side to face him. “That’s where _I_ went to school!” she said with enthusiasm.

“Really?”

“Yeah, I met Armi there too.”

“Armi?”

“Yeah, Armitage. My fiancé.”

Ben sucked in a breath and sat up in bed. “Armitage Hux?” he asked, and Rey’s brow furrowed. She clicked on the light beside the bed, and sat up.

“Yeah, actually. Why, do you know him?”

Ben was looking down at the comforter, and he slowly brought his eyes to meet hers. He nodded slowly.

Rey’s brow was still set in confusion, and she cocked her head at him. Then the color drained out of her face. “He’s the friend you’re going to see, isn’t he?”

Ben closed his eyes and nodded.

“Oh my god,” she whispered, “You were going to crash my engagement party. You, you…” Rey trailed off, before suddenly leaping from bed, and locking herself in the bathroom.

“Well, shit,” Ben said softly, hearing soft sobs come from behind the door.

Ben gave her some time to calm down, before knocking gently on the door.

“Rey, are you ok?” he asked, and the door swung open. Rey had been crying, puffy eyes and red cheeks, but the look on her face was set in determination.

“Yes, I am ok,” she said as a statement, and she trudged back to the bed, and crossed her legs.

“Do you...do you want to go to the party tomorrow?” Ben asked softly, joining her on the bed, but sitting at the end, facing her.

Rey took a deep breath. “No, no, I don’t think I do.”

Ben nodded slowly. “OK. What would you like to do?”

“I think…I think I want to sleep. And then, tomorrow, I’d like to show you some of my art, and get your opinion.”

Ben nodded again, and shared a small smile with her. “I would be happy to do that.”

Rey kicked the covers back, and slid underneath, clicking the lamp off. Ben joined her under the sheets a few minutes later, and they both laid in the darkness.

“Ben?” Rey’s asked, voice seeming small in the snow globe of a room.

“Yes, Rey?” Ben answered.

“Can you…will you hold me? Just for a bit? I just…” Before she could finish, Ben wrapped his arms around Rey, spooning her against him and enveloping her in warmth.

Rey let out a shaky sigh, and Ben felt a small tear fall from her face onto his arm.

“Rey?”

“Yes, Ben?”

This time Ben let out a little shaky sigh into her hair. “He was a fool.”

Ben could feel her relax in his arms, and he hugged her a little tighter. Armitage _was_ a fool. But Ben wasn’t…and had no intention of letting someone like Rey slip from his life.

 

**Author's Note:**

> This is my contribution to the Winter Fic Exchange for the Reylo Writing Den. I hope you like this @sciosophia. It's new trope for me... and I tried not to make it too sweet or fluffy. 
> 
> Thank you to @Azuwrite for the last minute Beta-ing at like two in the morning because I am a procrastinator. And the lovely moodboard!


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